Shizuka Shigaraki And the Academy of Secrets.

Just a bit ahead of the trophy room, Enoshima and I found the standing figure of Taka in a corner, who greeted us when he caught sight of us "Shigaraki! It seems your conjectures have once again proven useful to us!"

Even though it was hard to notice from my position, besides the Ultimate Moral Compass I could see that the gates blocking the staircase of this zone were no longer there "So I was right about a new floor opening, then?"

In response to my query, I received a firm nod "Indeed! No doubt these stairs will lead to the second floor, I can only imagine the discoveries will await you and Enoshima, even so, let's keep the hope they will be of the most usefulness for us"

Enoshima quirked an eyebrow at that "It's true that Shigaraki and I are gonna check the new floor, but what about you?"

"Oh, rest assured that I will not sleep on the job! While you guys search around the second floor, I will explore the dorm area. As I said a few moments ago in the gymnasium, we can't discard the possibility that something else has been open to us"

That's true, there were a few other things still left to check here on the first floor, including another set of stairs and some rooms blocked by that pesky yellow tape.

Just like the first time, those are places I will have to see for myself later as I can't be everywhere, and right now the second floor of this 'school' takes priority over whatever else could linger here.

If such is the case in the first place.

"Alright then" Was all I said before gesturing to Enoshima to leave the Ultimate Compass be and for us to depart and begin our own investigation.

"If you require me for anything, you can find me in the dorms! I leave the rest to you guys!" I heard Taka exclaim as we moved past him.

Not like I found any reassurance in his words, or him in general…or that I would from anyone besides Enoshima.

The first thing that greeted us on this sky-blue illuminated floor was a pair of corridors. On our left, it led towards a violet double-door with the figure of an anchor on its left side, while above it there was a sign with the words 'Pool' printed on it.

I wonder what we will find there?

Meanwhile, in front of us, there was a hall that, besides a bathroom for girls and boys each, further ahead splits into even more corridors. All in all, this served as proof that at the very least, Monokuma was honest in his word of opening a 'Whole new world' for us…

…Which was a mixed bag of feelings for me.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm glad that a new floor has become available to us. I had already discarded the chances of finding anything useful on the first one as things stand with every place either already accounted for or with access to it denied. This is why these new locations are welcomed for.

But why?

Why did Monokuma grant us access to it? Yes, he said that because it was a reward for surviving the motive with no casualties…but is that really it? Every time we overcome his challenges; he will open floor after floor 'I highly doubt this is the last one…' until we reach him. Or more specifically, the mastermind? Would they risk themselves to such a degree? It's…hard to say. Yesterday's events proved that whoever is responsible for trapping us here regards our situation as a game much more than I initially assessed.

Otherwise, Enoshima would've been no longer at my side…

But it is also true that there could be more than he lets on at first glance. I can't discard the possibility that this is just part of a bigger scheme on his part. I've said it before but I couldn't help reaffirming my doubts about anything being easy when it comes to Monokuma or the person in charge of him.

Regardless of that though…

"Hmm, there's lotsa options from where begin…" Enoshima commented before turning to me "…What do ya think? Is there somewhere specific you wanna see?"

…Those new mysteries can wait for now, more so considering that me standing here won't help at all either to resolve them or the current exploration.

Now regarding Enoshima's question "…Well, it's less than I'm interested in it, but the room leading to the pool is already just beside so might as well get on with it, are you okay with that?"

Enoshima put a hand on her chin before nodding at me "Sure, maybe we should also check the bathrooms afterward seeing that they are just around the corner, right?"

"Mhm, I don't see why not?" Depending on how big this floor is, we might be capable of going as far as seeing everything it offers in one single tour anyway, and even if that's not the case, I can depend on what the rest of the class finds to inform myself…for now. Whatever I end up missing, I will have to search on my own account about it in the future.

"Alrighty! Let's get into it then!" Enoshima exclaimed with a bumped fist before marching towards the violet door.

With me following just behind her…

…Only for me to immediately dash ahead and take a defensive stance in front of Enoshima the moment she revealed what was ahead when she opened the door.

Rather than the pool room itself, what greeted us was what appeared to be the entrance before the real deal, a backroom of sorts. There was the standard stuff most places inside this 'School' have, like a surveillance camera and a broadcasting monitor. On the right side of my peripheral vision, I could take notice of a shelf full of all kinds of pool-related equipment, ranging from kickboards, floating mats, and lifesaving rings.

In front of me was what most probably led to the locker rooms, one for boys on the right and one for girls on the left. Just besides each of them, I could notice what looked like a card reader of sorts. Perhaps I would've taken notice of more things if it weren't because of what was just above me and Enoshima taking most of my attention.

A gatling gun.

It was of an older model than the ones back on the main hall on the first floor, maybe an E94 UAG-10 perhaps, not like that made me less wary of it though. Right now, it was pointing towards the girl's locker room, but I could see that its handle was mounted in such a way that a three hundred sixty degrees rotation was within its capacity.

"Oh, Shigaraki! Enoshima! You guys won't believe what I―Huh? Are you okay, Shigaraki? Why are you posing like that?" Somehow Hina calling me out like that feels like a Deja-vu.

In addition to her; Fujisaki, Celeste, Naegi, Leon, and Maizono were here too, the exact half of the group counting me and Enoshima.

Either way, just like back on the first day, seeing that the turret hasn't reacted to us or those who were already way before, I decided to put it in a secondary priority 'Though still sticking close to Enoshima in case of anything…' to address Hina "…It's nothing important"

The swimmer pro blinked a few times at that but decided to dismiss whatever question she had about it running through her head in favor of a vigorous exclamation "Oh, okay. More importantly…It's a pool! There's a pool here! A POOL! Pool, pool, pool, pool, pool!"

Leon winced at that excessive energy "Geez girl, we already heard ya, don't have to repeat yourself that much, y'know?"

Something Hina decided to ignore "Not only that! I already checked the locker room and there's lots of exercise equipment in there! It's gonna blow Sakura's mind when she finds out"

Putting aside the weirdness of not seeing Ogami around with the swimmer here, I…kind of understand why Hina sees it as such good news that the locker rooms also work as a gym of sorts. The only equipment I have in my room is the knife target in human shape, which I haven't used because of the risks it could possess to my image if I left dents on it. That and there's just too little space for a more intensive work-out, which limits my options by a lot.

So yes, this is good news.

"Leaving that aside, with the aperture of this new floor, our living area has expanded and with it, a new number of commodities are now available. I can't deny that things have become more comfortable for us" The gambler commented while eyeing the surroundings of the room.

Maizono nodded at that "That is true, who knows, maybe there's a music room around here too!"

"Huh, yeah…that would be nice, wouldn't it?" The baseball star commented if a bit awkward in my opinion. Makes sense, considering with who he had just agreed with.

Meanwhile, Naegi took notice of something in particular about Fujisaki's current behavior "Hey Fujisaki, you've been staring at the locker rooms for quite a while. Is something wrong?"

The programmer flinched after getting caught, though nevertheless 'she' replied "A-Ah! It's nothing important! I-It's just…uh, I'm interested in this equipment Hina talked about…"

That caught the attention of a few classmates "Eh? That's what you are interested about?"

The programmer timidly nodded at Naegi "Y-Yeah, um, maybe…maybe I would like to give it a try. I'm interested in getting a little stronger…"

That brought even more interest from the Swimmer Pro "Is that so!? Oh! Oh! Maybe between me and Sakura, we can help you with that! No doubt we will be using the stuff in this place every day, so you can join us as we do so!"

Instead of looking relieved of such declaration, 'she' became even more nervous than 'her' usual self "E-Eh!? I-I don't―U-Uh―I-I…Um, thanks…but I-I think I will pass…s-sorry…"

"What? Why?" Hina asked with no small amount of disappointment.

Knowing what I do about Fujisaki, I might have a good idea as to why, but it's not like I have any reason to reveal it so might as well keep quiet about it.

As the Programmer stammered a bit more for an answer, Leon decided to give his two cents "I mean, no offense, but with how tiny the girl is I think you two might be a bit too much for her"

"H-Hey! That's mean!" Hina pouted at the red-head, though soon enough it faltered when she looked at the Programmer "...Um, is that really the reason you are saying no, Fujisaki?"

"…S-Something like that, yes…again, sorry…" It didn't go unnoticed by me the guilty look 'she' had while saying that.

"Be that as it may, with all these new facilities presented to us I must admit that Shigaraki's recklessness has provided a great service for all of us…" A more cynical me would've agreed that my actions fitted that world perfectly, but seeing that such recklessness saved Enoshima's life I can't say I wouldn't do something similar in the future if it's for her sake "…Though I have to wonder if a class trial would've provided a reward too, perhaps an even bigger one? If such were the case, then I wouldn't mind for one to eventually occur"

I have no idea if she did it on purpose, but that commentary made everyone in the room uncomfortable, the Naegi, Leon, and Maizono trio more than the rest. The mean look Leon was sending to the gambler, Naegi's wincing, and Maizono's look of shame told me that much.

"Uwah, I know ya have the looks, but that doesn't mean you can go around making creepy commentaries like those, y'know?" Enoshima commented.

It seemed Celeste was about to say something, though before doing so, she gave me a small glance and decided not to. It appears that whatever she was going to tell Enoshima, my presence refrained her from doing so.

…

Even though I will certainly remember that, the fact that she thought better of it and kept it to herself made me instead address one point of interest about this room "Hina, you have already explored this area, correct?"

"Eh? Um…Ah! Yes, I already did, why?" It seems that being addressed by me of all people caught the Swimmer pro off-guard for a moment, though nonetheless, she gave me an answer.

Under normal circumstances, I would've checked it by myself, but seeing that there was someone who already volunteered and took the risk, it would be convenient to get the info from that same source "…I see, then those card readers, you know of their function?"

At first glance, that answer might seem obvious, but with Enoshima around, it would be better to play it safe and avoid putting her close to unnecessary risks, like, I don't know, that gadget working as a trigger trap that activates the turret. I wouldn't put it past Monokuma to do something like that.

"Oh! It seems I forgot to tell you guys about it, hehe. To access the locker rooms, we use those things with our handbooks" However, for all my paranoia, it seems that the answer ended up being the most normal one.

"Is that so?"

! ! !

The moment those words left the lucky student's mouth, I once again took a defensive posture, and looked to my right just in time to see…

"Is that so! Is that so!" Monokuma cheerfully declared.

"Uwaaah!" Hina yelped, though she wasn't the only one. Except for Celeste, everyone had expressions full of wariness and trepidation locked on the monochrome figure that made an act of presence as if appearing out of thin air. 'I need to figure out how he does that. Is there some sort of secret passage only he has access to? Or is it just that fast?'

Regardless of any internal musing I had, Monokuma continued as if nothing was wrong "As our dear Swimmer just pointed out, if you wanna unlock the locker rooms all you need to do is to swipe your E-Handbook into the card reader next to each door" Then his features turned sterner "However, to guarantee the security to its highest degree, only the boy's handbooks can open the boy's locker room, meanwhile the same applies for the girls! And that's not up to negotiation, you hear me!?"

That's…good, I guess? I can already guess a few ways someone could use the loopholes this system allows, but putting aside those, I might have an idea of how the monochrome bear plans to punish those who don't comply with it.

Though that didn't prevent someone, in this case, Hina, to ask anyway "But…what if someone opens the door, and someone takes that as their chance to sneak in?"

It seems that such an idea was like a personal affront for Monokuma with how angry he appeared at the prospect of actually happening "Any degenerate who attempts such an act of indecency will receive no mercy of my part. Such scandalous sexual depravity has no place here!" Then he pointed at the ceiling above us "See that lethal baby right there? Try to pull that stunt and watch it turn you into a human swiss cheese!"

That made Hina send a glare in the bear's direction "Hey! That could hurt someone!"

…

…

…At least now she recognizes it's real, that's some progress I suppose, and those deadpan stares everyone was sending her way seemed to agree with me.

"Um, and…what happens if someone loans their handbook to someone else? If a boy borrows a girl's Handbook to get into the girl's locker room?" Maizono asked.

At that, the Monochrome bear looked shocked "W-What!? That never even occurred to me! Your genius for evil and murderous plots knows no bounds!" While Maizono became horrified at what Monokuma was saying and some glares were sent in his direction, he turned to me "Shigaraki! This is bad! At this rate, she's truly going to strip you of your Ultimate Assassin Title! Are you gonna let that stand!?"

Tch.

Instead of playing along with this farce, I decided to cut him off right then and there "Didn't you say back in the gym that you weren't going to call me by name anymore?"

"G-Guh!" Whether it was genuine or not, that made him panic before sending me a glare of his own "You really are a pain in the ass, y'know? Anyhow, regarding what she said, hmmm…alright, how about this? It's new rule time!"

*Ding*

With his declaration made, everyone's E-Handbooks made the same sound they make every time a new rule is added. Snatching my device out of my pocket, I took a look at it.

* Lending your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited.

Straight to the point, huh? Though that restriction still leaves other possibilities open. For example, stealing an E-Handbook is not the same as giving your device on your own volition, which is what this rule implies, there's also the scenario in which someone uses the Handbook from a dead person. That last one might not seem like a useful endeavor to think about seeing that everyone is alive…but what if they take the handbook from someone after killing this person?

A guy could kill a girl and use her handbook to put the body in the girl's locker room to make it seem as if it was one of the girls who committed the deed, while the same could apply to the inverse. Normally, I wouldn't mind a loophole like this one, heck, depending on the circumstances I could've made use of it myself. Although…

…These aren't circumstances in which that is the case.

Becoming the blackened will compromise Enoshima, and that's NOT an option I'm interested in approaching, not even thinking about it, period. Even more than that, if someone secretly realizes this flaw in the rules, that would also endanger her if whoever becomes aware of this is a boy. Basically, despite the possible benefits, the risks leaving this loophole unchecked brings are not something I can't allow.

"There! With this nobody can give their Handbook to anyone else! What do you guys think? I am a genius, aren't I? If you must know, that's because I'm―"

"What about stealing them?"

Following my question, silence permeated the entire room for a pair of seconds as everyone turned in my direction and did nothing but blink while staring at me, no different as if I had spoken in an alien language.

Eventually, it was Monokuma who brought himself out of the stupor "…What did you say?"

And I had no problem replying in kind "What you heard, what if someone steals a handbook, what happens then?"

Hina looked as if I was asking a dumb question, something that would've offended me if I cared about it "Huh? Didn't you see, Shigaraki? Monokuma just made a rule about it"

I shook my head in negation at that "No, he didn't. Lending a handbook is something both parties have to agree to, meanwhile, taking it by force or without the owner knowing about it just needs to be on the acknowledgment of one side. Ultimately, lending and stealing or taking it by force are different concepts"

A look of realization formed in most members of the group "…Hey, what the hell!? That's true! In that case, that new rule wouldn't mean shit for those cases, would it?"

"No, they certainly wouldn't be within the new restriction parameters. Although that makes me wonder if Monokuma was aware of it…" Celeste mused aloud while eyeing the bear.

While everyone began to look at Monokuma with suspicion, I decided to address him for a third time "Once again, what happens if instead of loaning them, someone steals it or takes it by force, then?"

Rather than giving me an immediate answer, Monokuma just stood there doing absolutely nothing besides looking at me blanky to the point that if I didn't knew better, I would've thought that whoever is in control of the remote-control machine just decided to leave it there.

After one minute of a hollow silence that was putting everyone on edge, the monochrome machine remembered we were still here and finally spoke. Though when he did…

"…You are serious about this, huh?"

That sudden commentary made me narrow my eyes at him "What was that―"

"Nothing! Nothing! That was just me thinking about the immortality of the bear" Monokuma dismissed while waving his paw.

Not like that worked to restrain me from internally wondering what was that about. It felt no different than yesterday back when he slumped down and then came back to life while making those weird statements, even if this time, it was shorter lived when in comparison to that previous incident.

Regardless, I have no way of forcing anything out of him, so might as well go back to what he should answer "…Then, what about the loophole in that new rule of yours?"

At that, the monochrome bear blinked a few times before shrugging "…Meh, I only care about the superficial image of this school. Yes, it's a shame that you discovered this little dirty flaw, but who I am to judge if someone still gets motivated enough to take advantage of it? I don't care about what happens to any of you, so by either cunning or force, you guys are free to do whatever you want!"

…So much for that, huh? I know it was wishful thinking that pointing out that loophole would've made Monokuma put a restriction about it considering that he creates the rules to encourage killing, not to safeguard our safety or the integrity of anything. On the bright side, at least bringing that out loud will make everyone think twice before going with it, considering that I have made clear I know of this.

"I hate you so much…" Not like Hina or most members of the group saw it that way though.

If Monokuma heard that, he made deaf ears for it "Alright, I believe that was everything I had to say! See ya!"

The moment he vanished out of the room, I heard Enoshima sigh in exasperation "I swear that creepy bear is, like, the most annoyin' junk in the world"

Hina nodded at that "Maaaan! He really ruined my mood! Hmm…maybe I should take a dip to cheer me up" Then she turned towards the Gambler and the Programmer "Hey girls! Do you wanna come?"

Celeste was the first to reject her invitation "I'm afraid I must reject the offer. There's nothing I loathe more than getting water splashed on my face after all"

Followed by Fujisaki "U-Um…I'm not a fan of wearing swimsuits…"

Then there was Maizono "…I…It's not like I would mind, but considering my current circumstances…"

Both Naegi and Leon winced at that.

"E-Erm, maybe the three of us can accompany you later, Hina? That way there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Y-Yeah, like the dude said. As long as she's still under our eye-sight, it should be fine, I think?" The Baseball Star added.

"…I suppose that could work…" Finally, the Swimmer Pro turned to Enoshima "What about you, Junko?"

"Eh? M-Me? I-I can't, because, because, well, um…Ah! My make-up! Y'see if I get into the water, it would ruin it, and that's a big no! So, yeah…"

Before I could question that being the real reason, remembered that wig she wears. As a Fashionista, no doubt she takes great importance on the image she has made of herself, I can't know for sure, but her actual hair may be a sensitive topic for her.

What a shame…

Might as well give another argument for them to avoid prodding more about her reasons "…Besides, there's still the exploration of the new floor, we can't leave that halfway through"

Enoshima quickly nodded at that "Yes, that too! We don't have time to slack off, y'know?"

To my surprise, instead of looking more convinced, Hina looked between us with a face full of suspicion, and before I could have time to dwell about why, she spoke first "Hmmm, you guys say that, but…that's just an excuse to go on a secret date! Isn't it!?"

…

…

…What!?

"W-What!?" Enoshima echoed my thoughts.

I quickly tried to dispel whatever was going through Hina's head, trying and failing to suppress the stammering that was threatening to come out of my vocal cords "T-That's not…I…Enoshima and I aren't―"

"Nah, don't worry about it, dude, we understand" No! The read-head clearly doesn't understand! "There's nothing bad with taking it easy for a little bit and spending it with your girl, y'know?" What did he said!?

"H-H-His w-what!? B-But…I-I mean…Shigaraki a-and I are not―"

"Mhm! Don't worry you two, we get it completely!" Oh, that smile on her face tells me Maizono does actually know what's going on…but also tells me she's up to no good "You can leave the rest to us! After all…it would be improper of us to get in the way of your couple-bonding time, wouldn't it?"

"Guh! / Eep!"

A quick and nervous glance at each other was everything we needed for us to synchronize and for both me and Enoshima to decide to make a tactical retreat, all the while ignoring the amused auras everyone we left behind was radiating.

…

…

…G-Goddammit, these people can be so annoying when they want to…

As soon as we left the pool room and put some distance away from it, Enoshima and I gave our respective sighs of relief.

If only that could help with the awkward silence that followed.

Although I just couldn't bring myself to directly look at her, from the corner of my eye I noticed how flustered she looked while fidgeting and rubbing her left arm, all of it working as proof of how uncomfortable that incident from just a few moments ago must've made her.

I couldn't prevent myself from grimacing at that.

They might be doing it for the funs and laughs out of it, no doubt because they have already noticed how out of my normal self I act every time they do something like this. Under normal circumstances, besides irking me a bit, I would've let the amusement at my expense slide …

…But this also involves Enoshima and how she personally feels about these incidents. I've already pointed it out before, but we are friends and that's as far as it goes. Putting aside the physical attraction, the feelings I have towards her don't go beyond our friendship and I have absolutely zero reasons to believe that her own feelings for me are different in that regard. Besides…even if…if I were to actually feel something more, which I don't, there's another point to take into consideration…

…It's just not possible.

Between me being an Assassin and she a Fashionista…it…it wouldn't work out. The fact alone that she can see me as a Friend is much more than what someone like me can ask for.

I don't deserve to find that someone in my life…

Slightly shaking my head to drive those thoughts away, I turned to Enoshima "…Um, are you okay?"

Said Fashionista jumped off a little bit before whirling her head in my direction "O-Oh, yeah…I'm…I'm fine, It's just…Crazy talk back there, huh? How everyone has this idea that…that you and me, y'know…"

My lips formed into a thin line before giving her a stiff nod "…Yeah, weird of them to think that, huh?"

"…Y-Yeah…"

And then more awkward silence.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Hey, Shigaraki?"

"Hm?"

"…Thank you"

Huh?

That made me fully turn to face her while looking at her with an eyebrow lifted up "Eh? What for?"

Slowly but surely, it seems that some of the clumsiness was beginning to leave our bodies as Enoshima too turned to face me while elaborating on what she just said "…I mean, back when I put a foot inside the pool room when you saw that mounted turret and when Monokuma appeared, both times you put yourself in front of me to defend me. I-I did notice that…um, sorry for bringing it until now…"

When she said that, I allowed myself to give her a small but genuine smile while shaking my head in negation "You don't have to apologize for something like that. As I said before, you are my friend and…" I couldn't prevent becoming a bit self-conscious while my face heated up a little bit "…and because of that, it's only natural for me to care about you"

…Was that too much?

"…O-Oh…hehe…I-I see…you…you care about me…hehehe…" Huh, I never saw her giggle like that before. I didn't mind it though, it was…a more genuine type of laugh in comparison to what I've heard from her so far. I certainly wouldn't mind if she were to do it more regularly, that's for sure "…Ah! U-Um, even so, I mean it when I say thanks! Everything you have done for me so far…no one else has ever worried as much about me as you have…no one else…"

While I felt happy that she thought so highly of me, I took notice that something was beginning to make her uneasy 'The way she said that was…strange…'. Seeing this, I decided to change topics "…You're welcome then. Hmmm…hey, now that we are done checking the pool room…" Kind of "…How about we go to this next place you said before?"

Enoshima blinked at me twice before, as if a lightbulb was turned on above her head, a look of realization formed on her features "Oh, you are talking about the bathrooms, yeah? Sure, let's get into it"

I nodded at that before strolling ahead…for about five seconds.

Yeah, they weren't that far away.

Once in front of the restrooms, I turned to Enoshima "…Well, I will see you in a moment"

I took the nod I received in kind from her as my cue to get into the bathroom and began my inspection of it.

Just when I was inside, I was greeted with a slight divergence from the bathrooms on the first floor. Instead of the flat dark grey that filled the walls, floor, and ceiling of the boy's restrooms on the previous floor, this place was filled with a splash of lime green, yellow and light blue. Although I must admit that besides that, it appeared to be just the exact same thing as the previous instances.

While that in itself was lowering my expectations of finding something useful, the cubicles and the storage area for cleaning supplies were still something that I couldn't leave alone.

Same as when I did a few days ago, I scanned every cubicle in search of any deviation they could have, occasionally tapping a random area in hopes of accidentally finding something, not like that worked. Unsurprisingly, the search for the first four cubicles was as lacking in results in general as I previously assumed.

Which only left the supplies closet.

Making my way at a slow and unamused pace towards it, I reached the very front of the area that led me towards…

…A bunch of cleaning supplies.

Just like in previous cases, I could only see products whose function was for the basic maintenance of the restrooms. Combing through them didn't produce a lead to anything, and same as before, I looked around for anything out of the ordinary in the tiles, but as the previous cases have already proved, there wasn't anything suspicious. I also tapped the walls just as an extra precaution but that too was an―

! ! !

…

…

…

…

…

…

…Oh?

…This…

…This is the kind of lead I was looking for.

Any inner invigorating feeling I had residing inside me was suppressed out of existence when I was about to leave the boy's bathroom. In its place, I put my mind into overwork to force myself into looking and feeling 'The more genuine this is, the better…' disappointed. After using the mirror just above the wash basin to confirm that I was selling my act well enough, I left the room.

Not a minute after, the door of the girl's bathroom swung open revealing the figure of Enoshima "Oh, Shigaraki. How did it go for ya?"

…

…I'm sorry, Enoshima "Besides the paint color, it was the same thing as the other restrooms"

Telling her about it is not an option. Not only because I do not doubt that the mastermind is keeping an eagle eye on me thanks to my actions thus far, making it impossible to reveal something to Enoshima without this person getting a cue of it. Besides, if I divulge this information to her, I would be putting her at risk by making her a possible target by turning her into a possible obstacle in their plans, and that is not something I'm willing to allow.

Unbeknownst of my inner thinking, Enoshima crossed her arms before sighing "That bad, huh? Figures, it would've been weird to find something important in a bathroom of all places…"

I nodded at that. Swallowing any guilt I could feel at deceiving her "I suppose that's true, even so, there's still plenty of room to explore. We can't discard the possibility of finding something useful along the way"

Weirdly enough, Enoshima gained a look of remembrance once I said that "Your right! There's still alter―Eep!" Whatever she was going to say, died on the tip of her tongue as a panicked look began to form on her features "E-Erm, uh, t-that was…Ah! Alternatives! Y-Yeah, that! There's plenty of alternatives we could find if we keep exploring, right!?"

…

…

…Huh.

That was…strange…

…Though I suppose that's part of her personality. This is far from the first time I've seen her acting like this. Besides, there's…this…something I feel every time I see her behave outside of that valley girl front she shows most of the time. Something about it is…I don't know…mesmerizing? As…as if I could watch it happen for twenty-four hours, three hundred and five days, and wouldn't get bored of it. Not even for a second.

Geez, I know I said a few days ago that I'm interested in that possibly other side she shows during her slip-ups…but this seems like a whole different ordeal, and it sounds weird, doesn't it?

Be that as it may, not saying anything to Enoshima will only worry her more so might as well give her some reassurance "…Mhm, that's true. From what I can see from here, there are at the very least a few halls left to explore. Do you want to continue? Or…uh, well, we can rest for a bit if you feel like needing it"

Like a bucket of cold water, it seems that my inquiry thankfully worked to bring her out of her nervous stupor "…Huh? Ah, n-no, you don't hafta worry! We are fine to go, really"

Giving her a careful look, it doesn't appears like she's forcing herself for my sake, and that panic of just a few moments ago doesn't show any signs of still lingering in her. Even so "…Alright, but if there's any detail, no matter what or when is it, please let me know. I'm not in a hurry for this investigation, and even less so if it's at the stake of your well-being, okay?"

"…Okay…hehe…" That giggling of hers is becoming a common thing, isn't it? That's…that's good, yeah. For some reason, hearing it again also lifts my mood.

Weird.

Regardless, seeing that I have Enoshima's consent to continue, the both of us resumed our stroll through the halls of this second floor.

Our walk through the corridors from the last pair of minutes led us to a light-red illuminated foyer in which multiple halls and rooms connected in one single central area. On its eastern side, there was a hall that conducted towards a pair of classrooms, while the rest of the space was occupied with multiple seats and tables lined up underneath the sealed windows found there. It was a peculiar sight, but nothing else.

The northern side led to a greenlit hallway with an intersection on its right, though from our current position it was not possible to know where that led. Finally, the west fraction of the corridor confirmed what I already suspected: There was a third floor, and no doubt a fourth, perhaps even a fifth one. The staircase blocked by a gate no different than the previously blocked stairs told that much. In addition to that, there was one last thing.

A library, and a large one at that.

Or at least that's what that label above its double doors and the fact that it occupied the rest of the west section gave the impression of.

"Hmm, seeing how large this room seems to be, it's probably the last major location on this floor" I heard Enoshima musing aloud.

"Mhm, there's still that greenlit segment left to see, but it doesn't appear we will find much there"

"Yep, sooo, wanna check this place out?"

Once I gave her an affirmative nod, we pushed the doors open and entered the room.

The library was…well, it fitted the name, that was for sure. It was vast enough that it looked larger than what appeared from outside. Shelf after shelf, both lined up against the walls and a few of them here and there around the room, packed with books of all sizes and colors. There were a pair of desks large enough to fit up to four people, maybe six if well accommodated, aligned in the middle of it. Of course, the respective surveillance camera and monitor were not missing.

I could see that some people were already there. Yamada and Fukawa were in a corner having a heated-up discussion about…something 'I wasn't truly paying attention to them or what they were saying if I am honest…'. The Lucky Student, Idol, and Baseball Trio were already here too, catching up to us while Enoshima and I were busy checking out the bathrooms if I had to guess. The red-head appeared to be rummaging through the shelves while grumbling something about the lack of drawings in the books, all the while, Maizono and Naegi had clear signs of stiffing some laughs about Leon's dilemma.

Putting those three together is showing its results pretty quick, huh?

Leaving those three aside, Togami was also here. Apart from glancing around with a scrutinizing eye, he didn't look to be doing much else. As for the last person, Kirigiri, she was in the left corner of the library, standing just beside a desk laying there, while inspecting…

…

…

…What the…?

There was something else that caught my attention, but before focusing on that. I had to approach Kirigiri and that laptop she was looking at, and confirm by myself that I wasn't seeing things.

While Enoshima and I approached the silver-haired girl, I observed how she tried 'and failed, it appears…' turning on the device. It seems my presence didn't go unnoticed 'Not like I was suppressing it at this moment anyways…', seeing that when I got closer, she turned to face me.

"…It's broken. I tried using the power button, but nothing happened"

I looked at her blankly for a few seconds…before picking up the laptop to inspect it by myself, and if I am honest with myself, I admit I was having way more fun than what I would like to admit when I saw the incredulous look that was showing the earliest of signs of forming on her face.

Either way, as for the laptop itself. It had the logo of Hope's Peak Academy on its back and was of green color. Old was a very fitting word to describe it, seeing how dusty it was and, I may not be an expert on the area, I can see it is of an outdated model by quite a few years of discrepancy.

Lastly, once being done with my inspection of it, I tried to turn it on with, even if expected, disappointing results.

"It really won't turn on, huh?" I mused aloud.

"…Yes, I already said that" The deadpan Kirigiri was giving me was almost palpable. But regarding what she said…

What she said was that it was broken while I said it won't turn on. There's a difference in that.

When it comes to intelligence, Kirigiri is the person I respect the most, there's no doubt about it that she makes up for the half, forget that, more than half of the entire class. But her assessment that it's broken as it doesn't show any signal of working because there wasn't a response after pressing the power button is a bit…eh.

Well, I said that, but the truth is that I'm not in any better position about what could be wrong with it. At first, I thought it was a power outage thing…only I couldn't see any port from which a charger could be connected to. 'Then how does it work? Is it solar powered?'

All in all, seeing the current status of it, I can only imagine that this laptop is here to give us a momentary false hope which would turn into despair once we figure out it's basically useless in its current state.

Taking that into consideration I guess there's nothing―

"Tch, that junk is useless, then? Damnit, maybe if there was someone―"

! ! !

"Enoshima, let's keep looking around" I quickly interrupted her before she finished that sentence.

Which understandably caught her off-guard "Eh? But what about―"

I forced myself to act as casually as I could under this sudden turn of events "The laptop? If I had to guess, Monokuma put it here to give us false hope. It seems to be a common trend when it comes to him"

Enoshima appeared to be about to give it a bit more protest, but whether she caught up or not on what I was doing, she gave me a let-down look that was making me internally wince, before doing a resigned nod "…Okay. Yeah, I suppose it's to be expected of that piece of junk…I guess…"

I returned the gesture while suppressing the grimacing this was causing me and ignoring the mysterious girl's eyes boring onto me. It couldn't be helped, I salvaged that situation as much as I could, but no doubt Kirigiri is once again sniffing something on me. But putting that aside…

…I have to thank Enoshima for that commentary she made. I don't know how it went past me, but she's right. What if someone could do something about the laptop? Someone, like…perhaps the Ultimate Programmer?

Back on the first day, when I thought that this was an ordinary kidnapping, I pondered about Fujisaki and 'her' value under the possibility of coming across an electronic device…like it happened just now. This laptop alone is a game-changer that alters the value I should hold on the Programmer. Fujisaki…'she's' certainly someone I can work around with. 'She's' the least dangerous member of the group, that much is the most reassurance I will get under these circumstances.

It's worrying 'and suspicious, way too suspicious…' that our captor would leave something like this when someone like Fujisaki is here, which is why I will have to keep a not so small level of wariness about this…but even with that into consideration, if 'she' really is capable of making the laptop work, then the possibilities it could open are vast, vast enough to make one thing clear…

…Just below Enoshima, Fujisaki's life is the next top priority.

I can't pick up the laptop to bring it to the Programmer, this place is cramped enough with so many eyes that no doubt someone will notice if I were to grab it right now, and that's not something I could allow. The fewer people know about this, the better. There's also the matter that if I were to pull my move at this moment, our captor will catch on to it and who knows what they will do about this if such a case were to occur. This is why I will have to act on it until post-nighttime announcement hours.

This is going to be a busy night, huh?

However, for now, I should focus on something else. After all, I wasn't lying when I told Enoshima that we still need to look around for a bit more, and luckily, I knew exactly where to begin. Besides the laptop on the desk, the other point of interest inside the library was an extra door lying just beside that same desk. There wasn't anything that could give a clue of what I could find inside, so I will have to see for myself.

Though just before I was about to open the door, a voice spoke up.

"That place works as an archive of sorts. The only thing you could find there are piles of books and files. I don't believe you have any reason to investigate such a place" Togami stated.

…

…That I don't have any reason? Well, if Togami of all people made such a declaration…

…There's only one reasonable thing to do, right?

Taking Togami's advice into consideration…I threw it out of the metaphorical window and turned the knob to open the door and step inside. Even if I don't find anything interesting, Togami's scoff and Enoshima's snicker made it worth it already.

The insides of the archive room fitted the heir's short description of it. The octagonal-shaped compartment consisted of seven shelves that, save for the entrance, surrounded each side with bookshelves stacked to the brim of books, meanwhile, the floor was an unorganized mess full of piles upon piles of documents, more books, and the occasional box full of more documents, books and even a parchment here and there.

Though the most immediate detail that took my interest was the fact that there wasn't any surveillance camera here. Its bizarreness increased when I noticed the clear spot in which such a security device was once upon there. The half-mounted handle along with the leftover cables that were peeking out of it was proof of that.

It appeared that Enoshima took notice of it too "What the…? That's, like…so strange, right?"

"…Mhm" Strange was an understatement.

Was a camera there before? Or could it be that our captor forgot to install it? When it comes to the latter, I find it truly hard to believe that they would make such an oversight, even when taking into consideration what I found in the boy's bathroom or the laptop, which reeks of a ploy mind you. As for the former option, then the question would arise: Why? Why uninstall it? What led this person to see it as unviable to keep a camera here?

This library certainly has its own share of unknowns.

I was very much tempted the spend some time rummaging around the information this place has to offer…unfortunately, there's just so much stuff that not even I know from where I could begin. That, and I'm under the clock, Taka's and Togami's clock to be more specific. While the heir isn't a threat against me per se, I know that I won't be able to inspect these documents either thoroughly or in peace with him boring glares into me as it is now, and on the other hand, I suspect that there isn't that much time left before we have to reconvene back to the dining hall, and I know that the Ultimate Moral Compass won't tolerate my absence...or keep quiet about it.

It's a bit frustrating, but I will have to leave an investigation of this place for later.

When Enoshima and I left the archive room I was greeted by a Togami who had a face as if I had personally sullied the honor of his family, that is to say, the same way he looks at me every day.

"So, did you find anything of interest?"

I sure did "Not really. The place was exactly as you told me"

The smugness radiating from him was almost physical "Hmph, of course it was. You would do well in stopping deluding yourself, and get printed into your head that questioning my words is nothing but a fool's errand" Was everything he said before departing away from me.

…Sigh.

I know that somewhere deep, deep, really deep inside that ego of his there's an actual smart guy, I sure do. Becoming the heir of the Togami conglomerate isn't something he could've achieved by just being your typical rich brat, their long lineage would rather find and secretly adopt a boy from somewhere else before allowing that to be the case…but it is also true that as if a curse of sorts, just like every member of his family, Togami has the self-awareness of a rock.

"Geez, that jackass mouth's sure is gonna gain him a beat-up someday…"

"…Honestly, he would get lucky if it ends up at just that" More so under our current situation.

Either way, the only thing left to do in the library is to check what's inside the drawers found on some shelves.

I began with the one just a few steps ahead of the desk in which the laptop resided. On the opposite of where it had its books lined up, I could count up to three containers. Combing through each of them I found nothing, more nothing, and even more nothing respectively. On the second shelf just a bit ahead of the first one I found nothing on the first drawer, the second container was more of the same, and on the third one…

…There was something.

Standing up after picking it up, in my hands there was what appeared to be a letter of sorts. It was covered in dust while showing certain signs of deterioration. Though most notorious of all was what's written on its right corner.

"…Hope's Peak Academy Principal?"

…What?

"That seems like it has been under a thick layer of dust. It must've been there for quite a while. Well, what are you waiting to open it and see what's inside?" It seems that while I was looking around and inspecting this letter, a crowd consisting of everyone who was already inside the library gathered around me, Kirigiri closer than the rest seeing the clear invasion of my personal space while she glared daggers at the letter. 'Is it just me seeing things or Enoshima was giving the silver-haired girl a dirty look?'

"Um…Guys? Maybe we shouldn't be reading other people's mail without their permission" Naegi objected.

Everyone and I meant everyone, gave the Lucky Student a deadpan look.

"No offense dude, but this ain't the time to worry about stuff like that, y'know?"

"Yeah, if there's something useful in there, we can't allow leaving it be without finding out what's inside, Naegi!"

The comments from his two companions were deemed enough to put his protest to rest "…Oh, okay…"

Seeing that there wasn't any other protest, not like I would've abided for any of them, I undid the seal of the envelope and pulled the paper found inside of it, then I proceeded to unfold that same paper and read its contents out loud. 'It can't be helped, considering that everyone is aware of it…'

[From the Hope's Peak Academy Executive Office]

[Throughout the years, we have been committed to shaping the youth who will one day shape the world. We have a long, proud history as an institution of higher learning with full government support. Our graduates enter society ready to take on active leadership roles in every major job field.

However. Hope's Peak Academy must now lower the curtain on its glorious history, for the time being. This decision was not an easy one to make but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary. But make no mistake, this is not the end for Hope's Peak Academy.

We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved. That being said, this is the end for now, and I would like to personally and sincerely thank everyone for your help and support over the years. For now, we are awaiting official governmental authorization to formally cease operations.]

…

…

…What?

"…Erm, please tell me I'm not the only confused one…I'm not, right?"

"Hmmm, the contents of this letter are certainly interesting"

"Uh, they kind of are? But I was talking more about…didn't we conclude that this wasn't Hope's Peak? I mean, didn't Shigaraki told us one hella explanation about why couldn't it be?" …I certainly did, but…

That comment made the Baseball Star gain a snarl from the Heir "You are overestimating him; he is capable of making as many mistakes as any of you commoners" Then he turned to me with a smug smirk "Turns out you aren't as smart as you claim to be, are you?"

While I was unfazed at his jabs, it seems Enoshima was another story "Hey! What the heck is your deal? Shigaraki was only helping!"

"Helping? Mhmhm, I wonder about that…"

"Y-You―!"

"It's fine, Enoshima" When she gave me a perplexed look, I just shook my head "I came to that theory based on the information available at the moment. It just so happens that with this discovery, keeping that assumption as the only viable answer is wrong"

I certainly wasn't affected by Togami's doubts about my intelligence, proving myself to him couldn't be any lower in my priorities. Though I would be lying to myself if I said that what was inside the envelope doesn't make me wonder…

…Did I truly made a wrong assumption of such a level?

"…Either way, these contents seem to imply that Hope's Peak had stopped functioning as a school. And judging by the amount of dust the letter had collected, it doesn't seem to be a recent event. If I were to take a guess, I estimate that this letter is at least a year old" Kirigiri clearly wanted such being the case with how hopeful she sounded.

"Then…you're saying that this is truly Hope's Peak and that it has closed down by at least an entire year?" The Lucky Student asked.

"It could certainly be. The Assassin's theory never took into consideration the possibility that our captor had acquired the school with an entire year of anticipation…" Enoshima gave the Heir an annoyed look, but she left at that "…With this new assumption, it could very well be feasible for them to make the required preparations to put this performance into action" Togami's right, I didn't accounted for that scenario, but that's because of a very important reason.

Something the Naegi seemed willing to point out "E-Even so, wouldn't that mean that it was closed when we got here? I didn't get that sense at all. I mean, if the school really was closed down, it would've been all over the news, right? Right before getting here, I looked stuff about the school online, and there wasn't anything about this…"

For this part, the Heir waved off Naegi's inquiries "…It's possible that was part of the mastermind's plan. To lure each one of us. A person like this could have the potential capability to pull such a ploy…Of course, that's if we accept for a fact that this letter is real" Huh, at least his desire to prove me wrong hasn't clouded his judgment.

Though I admit that just like Naegi, his point is just as viable. The motive videos showed that our captor's power is on a whole different level than what I initially assessed before seeing them. It wasn't like I underestimated this person…but I certainly didn't overestimated our captor enough. The documentation the higher-ups of the Salvation Society gave me regarding my recruitment into Hope's Peak seemed legitimate enough 'Though I feel like I'm missing something important about them…', but at the same time, this could also explain why I was 'accepted' into Hope's Peak in the first place. Acquiring an Assassin for a Killing Game? Sounds plausible enough, at least much more than wanting one to attend their school as a regular student, that's for sure…

…

…Be that as it may, Togami is also right with his skepticism about the letter. Same as him, I can't take the contents inside of it for granted, and even less so, I can't allow myself to make the same mistake of jumping to conclusions. With the resources the mastermind appears to have at their disposal, I have to keep an open mind about the possibilities that could appear from now on. There are still things that nag me, like the fact that last I remember, the school didn't had any signals of being fortified to the point it currently appears to be 'If this is truly Hope's Peak and we have yet to be rescued, then it must be done so to a much more terrifying degree than what I thought…'. Was all of that hidden from plain sight? A fake prop to temporally cover it perhaps? Unfortunately, I have no immediate way of figuring that out.

"If the letter were to be real, though, it would explain why we are the only students here even if this was the real Hope's Peak"

"…Right, it would be, like, totally weird if there were more people if this creepy school closed down for real"

Putting aside Kirigiri's and Enoshima's statements, I could see from the corner of my eye that Maizono had her brows furrowed as if thinking deeply about something.

Which Naegi noticed too "…Eh? Is something wrong, Maizono?"

While everyone turned in her direction, it seems she had enough time to order her thoughts "…Well, it's just…there's something else about that letter that bothers me. It says something about serious issues and they being the reason for Hope's Peak to close. Do…do you guys think that has anything to do with our current situation?"

She brings an interesting point. If the letter and its contents turned out to be the real deal, then what kind of issues could've led to the end of Hope's Peak Academy?

Well, it certainly isn't that hard to think of a few theories. That Reserve Course program I remember looking about sounded like a can of worms that could've potentially blown them in the face if those students had grown a spine at some point. Heck, if the document recruiting me into Hope's Peak is truly real, if the Steering Committee, the absolute authority of the school, had truly made a deal with the Holy Salvation Society to get their hands on me, it does nothing but speak volumes of their lack of principles and would make you wonder…what else these people were willing to do under the shadows? What other dirty secrets they have hidden from the public? Could it be that some of them became more than what they could chew and it led to a chain reaction that ended in disaster? Or…

…Could it be that our current situation is an inner work from them? That someone within the academy is the actual responsible for this? That's…definitely not the craziest scenario, that much I can determine.

Whatever case it may be, there's no doubt that this floor brought up quite the pile of mysteries. Mysteries that one way or another, I will have to resolve…by myself.

Putting aside the exception that circumstances force me to make with Fujisaki, I don't trust anyone here besides Enoshima, and jeopardizing her is not up to consideration.

Just like I've done during my entire career, just like any other Assassin does, I will work on my own account, and I will do so to uncover the secrets this place holds.